January 27, 2026

Introduction

Why Plotly?

  • Interactive visualizations for the web
  • Supports 2D, 3D, and statistical plots
  • Seamless R integration
  • No JavaScript knowledge required

Today’s Demo:

A 3D wave interference pattern with full interactivity

Interactive 3D Surface Plot

How to Interact

Try these interactions:

  • Rotate: Click and drag to rotate the 3D surface
  • Zoom: Scroll or pinch to zoom in/out
  • Pan: Shift + drag to pan the view
  • Hover: Hover over the surface to see coordinate values
  • Reset: Double-click to reset the camera view

The contour lines project onto the bottom plane for better depth perception!

Mathematical Details

Function Definition:

\[f(x, y) = \frac{\sin(\sqrt{x^2 + y^2})}{\sqrt{x^2 + y^2} + 1}\]

This creates a radial wave pattern that:

  • Emanates from the origin (0, 0)
  • Dampens with distance due to the denominator
  • Creates concentric circular waves
  • Demonstrates wave interference principles

Technical Implementation:

  • 100 x 100 grid points (10,000 calculations)
  • Viridis color scale for accessibility
  • Contour projection for depth visualization

Thank You!

Questions?